Beginnings
“I had been working in Owens Corning as an insulator for 25 years. I thought I would stay with the company till I retire, but then ill health forced me to quit my job and the company. Before I get into the details of my health situation, let me tell you something about Owens Corning the company I worked for.
This company has been around since 1938 and has its headquarters in Toledo. It is into insulating systems, roofing and asphalt and other building materials. Moreover it happens to be the world’s largest manufacturer of fiberglass and associated products. However about 7 years ago i.e. in 2000 because of medical lawsuits due to the Owens Corning’s use of asbestos as a fire proofing agent it went into insolvency. It has now restructured itself and has rebounded into the building and construction industry in a major way.
After getting my high school diploma, I trained as a heat and frost insulator apprentice. I was offered a job at Owens Corning because of my technical qualification which I accepted immediately as good jobs were hard to come by in those days.
Not quite fit
I used to think I was fit as a fiddle as I was quite active in baseball games that used to take place in my town. But then I developed asthma, at least that’s what the doctor told me. He prescribed some medications for it but I was not regular with it. Besides I didn’t see any difference in my condition even when I did take them. Then my voice changed it sort of became husky. The voice factor worked with the ladies but I was getting worried.
I went back to my doctor who told me I was working too hard and not getting enough sleep. Deep down I felt that he had no clue what was happening to me. Feeling frustrated and depressed I spoke to my good ol’ pal Buddy* who kind of knew what I was talking all about. He got in touch with a couple of his friends who told him that I should visit this really amazing doctor Dr. David Young* at Medical Center of Delaware, Wilmington.
Know your stuff
This doctor knew what he was talking about. He asked me if I was ever exposed to asbestos. I informed him that I had only worked in an asbestos environment and no other place. The doc revealed to me that I may have cancer. I was shocked to find that out. According to Dr. David this cancer is known as mesothelioma and usually happens to those people who were exposed to asbestos fibers in some way or the other. But to be sure he asked me to go for a procedure called ‘mediastinoscopy’.
Acid test
In general a needle biopsy is done to confirm the presence of mesotheliomic cells but my doctor decided to opt for a ‘mediastinoscopy’ which is a surgical technique to look at the tissues and organs in the mediastinum (the chest cavity behind the breast bone that lies between the lungs). |
